A DYNASTY WILL BE BORN

Rogue Traders are unique and powerful human individuals who serve as a combination freelance explorer, conquistador and interstellar merchant for the Imperium of Man. They are hereditary Imperial servants and nobles, given a voidship, a crew, and carte blanche to roam the worlds of the galaxy that still lie beyond Imperial control or knowledge. In their task of exploring and exploiting the still-uncharted regions of the galaxy of Mankind, Rogue Traders might come across worlds harboring long-forgotten human civilizations which need to be later incorporated into the Imperium. Other times they find empty or alien-dominated planets ripe for colonization, conquest, or exploitation.

Warrant of Trade

The Imperial Warrant of Trade is the most valuable possession of a Rogue Trader; an ancient legal document which describes and sanctions the accepted limits of a Rogue Trader and his or her descendants' operations across the galaxy. These charters are hereditary and thus create an entire Rogue Trader dynasty when they are issued. These dynasties are granted a personal coat of arms identifying their members amongst the Imperial nobility. Rogue Traders are empowered with the authority by the High Lords of Terra to travel freely within the Imperium and beyond. This allows them to legally interact with cultures which normal Imperial citizens are forbidden contact with—because they are non-Imperial human worlds or xenos—controlled planets. Not only that, but Rogue Traders are granted the permission and freedom to deal with these cultures as they see fit, so long as it is judged to be in the interests of the Imperium. However, it can be assured that a Renegade Rogue Trader guilty of heresy or treason will be severely prosecuted by the Inquisition if discovered and captured. His punishment will be that much more severe if he is deemed undeserving of the Emperor's extraordinary trust in his family.